Ecological Endings and Eschatology: Margaret Atwood’s Post-Apocalyptic Fiction

Abstract

The link between narrative and eschatology lies in their both dealing with “last things.” Ricoeur’s dictum that “the possible precedes the actual and clears the way for it” provides a powerful mandate for writers concerned with the danger of ecological endings. The endings of the novels in Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam trilogy not only articulate contemporary ecological sensibilities, but also, and more surprisingly, provide space for a religious way forward. Atwood’s recent connection to the Christian environmentalist group A Rocha presents a powerful instance of the possibilities for cooperation between agnostics and Christians in terms of hope for the planet.